Middle class in Chinese: TOP 5 smartphones

Asus Zenfone 2 16 GB / 2 GB

The second generation of smartphones from the Taiwanese company Asus can offer flagship capabilities for a price that is one and a half to two times lower than that of its closest competitors.

The brainchild of Intel Corporation — the high-performance Intel Atom Z3560 processor — is installed in the heart of the Asus Zenfone 2 smartphone with a 5.5" screen size. It is built on the basis of 4 cores with a clock frequency of 1.8 GHz. The processor ensures the smart operation of the gadget as a whole with a democratic consumption of energy resources: on a single charge of a 3000 mAh battery, the smartphone screen can last 3.5-4 hours in a continuously switched-on state. The only disappointment is the fact that the battery is not removable.

The younger version of the smartphone has 2 GB of RAM installed on board, half of which is available to the user. The older version is equipped with a 4 GB RAM module and is one of the most powerful among all smartphones as of the beginning of 2016. Paired with the proprietary ZenUI shell, rolled over Android 5.0, you can completely forget about any interface slowdowns. By the way, according to numerous reviews, the ZenUI shell is one of the most balanced both in terms of usability and in terms of optimizing resource consumption.

The presence of two radio modules deserves special praise: both SIM cards can work in parallel. The phone's memory is expanded using cards of microSD format with a volume of up to 64 GB. The slot for flash cards is located separately from the SIM card slot. We are also pleased with the fact that the sidewalls are devoid of traditional controls — the volume control keys are located on the back panel of the case, like LG G4 32GB 32 GB / 3 GB .

The Asus Zenfone 2 has two cameras. The main one has a resolution of 13 MP and a maximum aperture of f/ 2.0. You can shoot in a dark room without using a flash, but, frankly, the quality of the pictures does not shine. The front camera is 5—megapixel and is suitable for selfies or Skype conversations.

A clear and rich picture, which gives out a 5.5-inch screen with an IPS matrix, as well as excellent smartphone performance are the main advantages that attract new fans to it day by day.

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 16 GB / 2 GB

Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 is a model released at the very end of 2015. It rightfully occupies one of the leading positions in the line of smartphones of the Chinese manufacturer, which rapidly broke into the market just a few years ago.

Compared to its predecessor (Xiaomi Redmi Note 2 16 GB ), there are not so many changes. The main feature of the smartphone is the presence of a fingerprint scanner. The fingerprint sensor, which was previously installed only in flagship models, has become more affordable and appeared for the first time among smartphones of Xiaomi. Unlike most other phones, the fingerprint scanner is mounted on the back of the device, just below the flash. It works without failures — you can put your finger at almost any angle and not be afraid of failure in operation.

The second feature should rather be attributed to the disadvantages: the smartphone lacks a slot for memory cards and has a non-removable battery. The owners of the 16-gigabyte version of the gadget can feel especially acute lack of memory. By the way, 2 GB of RAM is available to them, whereas devices with 32 GB of internal memory have 3 GB of RAM. The non—capacity of the battery is leveled by its capacity — 4000 mAh is enough for two full days of use .

The MediaTek Helio X10 processor installed on board the Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 has 8 cores of 2 GHz each. Even the most difficult games will go to the maximum or close to them settings. With active use, the case does not heat up, and in normal mode it cools the hand very pleasantly. All because they did not stint on it and made it out of aluminium.

The camera deserves special praise. The main module with a sensor manufactured by Samsung has a 13-megapixel resolution and a maximum aperture of f/2.2. He handles well with HDR shooting, and is able to write slow motion video (SlowMotion). Autofocus in photo mode catches the shooting object in 0.1 s. The resolution of the front camera is 5 MP.

As for its capabilities, the smartphone has a very "tasty" price. We add here a high-quality IPS screen with viewing angles up to 178° and a responsive MIUI-7 interface installed on top of Android 5.0.2, and at the output we have a "thunderstorm" of the middle class.

Lenovo Vibe P1 16 GB / 1 GB

Modern gadgets can often live without recharging for only about one day. Lenovo engineers decided to bet on battery life and released the Lenovo Vibe P1 smartphone, which even before the start of sales received the nickname "pyatitysyachnik".

The main trump card of the phone is a 5000 mAh battery. Even with active use, it is enough for 2 full days of work. If you do not run resource-intensive games, but check your mail from time to time and log in to social networks, the battery will last 3-4 days.

The phone case is made of metal. On its left side there is a mechanical switch of the power saving mode. The case itself pleasantly cools the hand and does not warm under load. The normal operating temperature is due to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 615 processor, which consists of 8 cores (4 cores with a clock frequency of 1 GHz and 4 more cores with a frequency of 1.7 GHz). Thanks to the support of QuickCharge technology, the processor allows you to charge your smartphone faster (if there is an appropriate adapter included). The amount of pre—installed RAM is 2 GB (more than 1 GB is available) — the games will not fly, but all will start without exception.

The proprietary VibeUI shell installed on top of Android 5.1.1 is perfectly optimized and does not differ much from the original Android. Thanks to this, bugs and slowdowns in the interface are completely eliminated. The internal memory of the smartphone, which is 32 GB, can be expanded by means of a memory card of the format microSD.

The Lenovo Vibe P1 screen has a FullHD resolution and is made using IPS technology. It perfectly conveys colours and has wide viewing angles. Smartphone owners complain only about the maximum brightness, which may not be enough on a bright sunny day. The camera module, which has a resolution of 13 MP, is also not enough for many. Despite the excellent operation of the phase autofocus, as well as the presence of an LED flash, both photos and videos are quite average. The front camera has a resolution of 5 MP.

As a result, the smartphone from Lenovo turned out to be perfectly balanced for devices of its class. And taking into account the battery life, it can be recommended to everyone without exception.

Meizu MX5 16 GB

The Meizu brand quickly became famous all over the world. The reason for such popularity is the capabilities of smartphones from a Chinese manufacturer, as well as excellent value for money.

The hardware of the Meizu MX5 can be called the flagship. The 8-core MediaTek Helio X10 Turbo processor coupled with 3 GB of RAM gives excellent results in any benchmarks and allows you to run the heaviest games at maximum graphics parameters. With active gaming, you need to take breaks, since the smartphone screen is made using AMOLED technology. On the one hand, it transmits a rich black colour better and consumes less energy, and on the other hand, the eyes get tired of it more.

The battery of the device has a capacity of 3150 mAh. I.e., with active use, its charge should be enough for exactly a day of work. Under loads, neither the battery nor the processor are heated.

The main feature of the smartphone (like all Meizu devices) is the proprietary shell Flyme installed on top of Android 5.0.1. It stands out because there is no separate menu with all applications. However, this is a matter of habit and more and more manufacturers are coming to this practice (for example, a similar interface is implemented in Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 16 GB / 2 GB .

And the Meizu MX5 is also very good at photographing. A 20.7-megapixel sensor with a Sony sensor, the maximum aperture value of which is f/2.2, gives an excellent picture with high detail and rich colours. The camera module practically does not protrude from the case and you don't have to worry about its safety. The front camera has a resolution of 5 MP, which is traditional for most devices of this class.

It would be logical to define a smartphone in a higher category. It has all the hallmarks of a flagship: a fingerprint scanner, powerful hardware, optimized software, a cool camera. But the company Meizu has even more advanced smartphones, so the Meizu MX5 occupies a place at the top of the middle segment, acting as a clear leader.

Help.Benchmarks are synthetic tests that programmatically test the performance of the processor, memory, graphics and other components of gadgets. The more points a smartphone scores during testing, the higher its overall performance. The most popular comprehensive benchmark for Android is AnTuTu Benchmark.

OnePlus X 16 GB / 3 GB

The main bet in the OnePlus X model is on style. The smartphone has a glass backdrop that looks spectacular and attracts attention.

Is it practical to use glass on the back panel? No — it collects fingerprints on itself and tries to slip out of your hands. Does it look beautiful? Very — everyone will ask to hold a smartphone in their hands. In addition to the version with a glass back, there is a more limited edition, in which the backdrop is made of zirconium ceramics.

The hardware of the OnePlus X does not shine with novelty. The smartphone uses a proven 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor running at 2.3 GHz and 2 GB of RAM. Under loads, the processor tends to heat up moderately. On average settings, any games will go. However, avid gamers will have to additionally purchase external battery — the native battery is non-removable and has a capacity of 2525 mAh. On the day of active use, it is not enough.

The 5-inch AMOLED display has a pixel density of 441 ppi. This means that the individual points that are responsible for building the image on the screen will not be conspicuous. The picture is saturated, the maximum brightness level is acceptable for convenient use of a smartphone on a bright sunny day. The cameras are also pleasing: the main 13-megapixel module with a maximum aperture of f/2.2 is equipped with fast phase autofocus, and the front module has a resolution of 8 MP and a maximum aperture of f/2.4 . Unfortunately, with the older model in the person of OnePlus 2 16 GB / 3 GB the optical image stabilization system has not migrated, so the smoothness of FullHD video will depend only on the steadfastness of your hands.

There is only one radio module in the smartphone. And users will have a choice: use two SIM cards that will work alternately, or expand the memory using a card of the format microSD. The built-in memory here is 16 GB. Thanks to the pure Oxygen shell, which is not much different from the original Android 5.1.1, almost 3/4 of its volume is available for use.

OnePlus X is the choice for those who need a smartphone that stands out from the crowd. With a good set of characteristics, it has its own unique design, for which the eye will definitely cling.